Have visited Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge south of Missoula, Montana several times in past years. It has usually been in a drought. Not this year. Above you see snow still on the Bitterroot Mountains. The parking lot for a trail along the Bitterroot River was flooded and water was flowing over the main refuge road.

A bobolink.

Above, an eastern kingbird and a juvenile robin.

A muskrat in a marsh with clouds reflected on it.

Below, wild male turkey’s.

On arriving at Lake Walcott State Park found lots of birds and millions of midges. Took a spot in the sun, away from the lake, where there were not so many midges. The next day it was windy, which seem to blow away most of the bugs.

Above, a Bullock’s oriole (top) and a yellow warbler (bottom). There were lots of warblers.

There were also lots of robins. I saw one robin’s nest with newly hatched chicks inside. Magpies were flying around searching for nests to plunder.

Black-headed grosbeak at a park employee’s bird feeder.

Birds seen but not pictured: swallows and kingbirds enjoying the bugs, cedar waxwings.

On the first day at the park, I braved the midges to walk near the lake which is stocked with fish. Large fish, as shown above, could be seen from the trail. Was amazed that there were so many midges they sounded like a swarm of bees

On leaving Lake Walcott passed by some white pelicans on the Snake River with snow seen on the mountains near Pocatello, Idaho.

Top picture, a young antelope. The only one I’ve seen. It stayed perfectly still as I drove by. Have also seen a lone moose, but it was too far away to get a picture.

Second picture, a porcupine was plodding along the road on one of my morning visits to the refuge.

Eared grebe with a baby on board, literally. I had heard grebe babies ride on a parent’s back. This is the first one I’ve seen.

Have seen quite a few ibis’. They are like ducks though, they tend to take off when they see you approaching.

Coot smackdown. Pre-fight posturing in top picture. They use their feet in fighting, holding onto the other bird with one foot and slapping with the other, along with pushing with the beak. The goal is to push the other bird onto his back. Think this fight was over a female coot. The bigger coot won.

Another picture of the owl, this time on the ground.

The pictures  below were taken by my rv site in Rexburg: baby robins in the first pictures and a Wilson’s warbler in the second. A parent robin was calling to the young ones today, trying to get them to fly to the ground.

The rv park I’m staying at is a family farm/rv park/bed and breakfast/cabin rental/and gift shop. There is a for sale sign out front, so the owners may have over extended themselves. They are really nice people and work really hard. There are lots of birds and, so far, no mosquitoes. Cotton, from all the cottonwood trees blows around in the air. I decided to stay here through the 4th of July.

Have been staying at Lake Walcott State Park in south-central Idaho the past few days. The park is unique, in that it is located within the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge. This allows parts of the refuge to be used by the public for boating, fishing and camping.

The weather has been nice. It usually ranges from the 50′s at night to the 70′s in the day. Clouds and light rain blow through at least once a day, but does not stay long. Have not had any thunder or hail yet.

Above, the old main highway that runs parallel to the Snake River (and the refuge) and the new I-84. Had the good luck to see the hawk while driving the road.

There is a large flock of white pelicans here. The one above is diving for a fish in an area of rapids on the Snake River.

Bullock’s oriole. Have also seen a cedar waxwing.

Eastern kingbird.

Magpie fledgling. There are five of them perched inside a small pine tree near where I am camped.

Robin fledgling following one of it’s parents around.

Think this is an Eastern kingbird fledgling.

The way here: Stayed two days at Bruneau Dunes State Park. It has sand dunes, small lakes, and an observatory. C.J. Strike Wildlife Management Area is also right next to it and has no hookup camping areas. I found some nice areas in the wildlife area, but no place I’d want to take my trailer. Really got my truck muddy driving through parts of it and had to use my 4-wheel drive at one point. Made me thankful to have it.

Western (top) and eastern (bottom) kingbirds seen at Bruneau Dunes State Park.

Back in Sutherlin, Oregon to dry out from the coastal dampness and wait out the Memorial Day holiday. Was lucky to get the same rv spot I had before. The first week in a long time that I have not had to wear my mud shoes.

The number of jackrabbit’s is increasing. In the summer, there are lots of them here.

Robin with worms. Robins are one bird I seem to see everywhere I go.

Oregon dark-eyed junco. The bottom one is with its’ fledgling.

Below, flower growing wild in the woods.

Scenes from the Olympic Discovery Trail. That is the Dungeness River by the Dungeness River Audubon Center. The last picture shows the Johnson Creek Trestle near Sequim Bay State Park. The trail cuts through the center of the park.

Stayed at Sequim Bay State Park a few days. It’s a nice park, but for some reason it is not always full, like nearby Fort Flagler and Fort Worden State Parks. Top picture is Sequim Bay at low tide and the lower picture is a trail leading down to it through tall trees and ferns.

Dark eyed junco. It has a worm in the lower picture.

Have not seen a lot of birds here. Mid-summer is not the best time of year for bird watching. There are lots of robins, swallows, and goldfinches. Have seen a couple of eagles, but they have been high up on tall trees where it was hard to get a good picture. Saw a few blue herons, but restrained myself from taking a picture.

Anderson Lake State Park, a day use park, was just a mile or so from where I stayed in Chimacum. It was closed to boating, fishing and any physical contact with the water because of a toxic blue-green algae bloom. There were no birds on the lake or any signs of fish. Several dogs died from drinking the water.

Sunset from the rv park I have been staying at.

Capitol Gorge, a travel route that Mormon settlers used to get to the Fremont Valley area. One wall is called Pioneer Register because it has names of some of the pioneers who passed through the canyon.

Pictographs left by the Fremont Indians.